Veterinary session

As part of my work for the Scientific Students' Associations, I joined a research project led by Dr. Kinga Fodor, I examined the mental health of students at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Budapest from a new perspective. The study was based on a questionnaire survey and compared the answers given by Hungarian and English students.

The 81 questions of the questionnaire focus on burnout among veterinary students, and the questions, which are based on the student version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, assess, among other things, feelings towards the university, the presence of addictions, the prevalence of mental illness and the extent to which basic needs are met.

Cramer's coefficient was calculated and a Chi-square test was used to examine the text-to-text correlation of the results.

The results showed that veterinary students are definitely affected by burnout syndrome. The hypothesis that symptoms worsen with advancing grades was confirmed by the responses to the questions. As there is not a large difference between English and Hungarian students for most questions, it can be assumed that nationality has less influence on the degree of burnout, but rather depends on the chosen profession or the amount and difficulty of the subject matter to be studied. It is clear from the research that a high proportion of both Hungarian and English students have serious sleep problems and battle significant amounts of physical and mental stress. The responses also show that students themselves admit to needing mental help and psychological support.

Overall, it is evident that burnout syndrome is a problem that is already present at university among students who choose to become veterinarians. Based on the results, it is clear that there is a need for mental health support, not only optional, but also integrated into the curriculum, to help prospective veterinarians overcome the problems and symptoms they encounter. It is equally important that more emphasis is placed on prevention.